Sewing kit



y 5, 1954 F. M. TINKER 2,679,341

SEWING KIT Filed Aug. 1, 1952 INVENTOR.

Fan-5e M. TIA/K518, BY

Patented May 25, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT SEWING KIT Foster M, Tinker, Unity, Maine Application August 1, 1952, Serial No. 302,140 'f 1 Claim.

This invention relates to sewing kits, and more particularly, has reference to a sewing kit formed as a cabinet structure, in which a plurality of spools of thread, and other sewing tools, will be supported in an arrangement particularly adapted to provide ready access to any selected spool or sewing tool.

It is obviously desirable, in a sewing kit, that the several spools of thread carried therein be so disposed as to provide ready access to any spool desired.

The main object of the present invention is to provide a sewing kit which will be so formed, the kit constituting the present invention being provided with a plurality of vertically spaced, horizontally extending bars on each of which is a series of upstanding spindles, the spindles being adapted to support spools of thread for rotatable movement, with said bars being tiltable simultaneously to positions in which ready access is provided so far as any of the supported spools is concerned.

Another object of importance is to provide a sewing kit as stated wherein the cabinet structure in which the several spools and items of sewing equipment are contained will be highly compact, thus to permit storage of the sewing kit in a-minimum area.

Still another object of importance is to pro-. vide a sewing kit of the character stated wherein'the spindles carrying the spools of thread will be normally disposed in positions in which accidental withdrawal of the spools therefrom will be effectively precluded, this construction bein g desirable since it will effectively retain all the spools on their associated spindles, even when the cabinet structure is accidentally moved from its normally vertical position.

Still another object of importance is to provide a sewing kit of the type stated which, while still being designed in a manner eiiective to attain" all the desirable objects set forth above, will nevertheless be capable of manufacture at a relatively low cost, from inexpensive, readily available materials.

Other objects will appear from the following description, the claims appended thereto, and from the annexed drawings, in which like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a sewing kit formed in accordance with the present invention, as it appears when the cover thereof is swung to an open position, a scissors supported upon theicover being illustrated in dotted lines; 1

Figure 1.2 is, .a.s.ectional-. View, on an enlarged,

scale, taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1, the spool: supporting bars being illustrated in their nor-- mal positions;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 in which to an inclined posithe bars have been tilted tion; and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective View off one of the spool-support bars.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the refer ence numeral ill has been applied generally to a cabinet structure of box-like formation.

receptacle having a rectangular, vertically disposed back wall l2. Extending along the top edge of the back wall, and projecting forwardly and horizontally from the back from the back wall and being adapted to be supported upon a supporting surface, such as a table or the like, not shown.

It is believed worthy of observation at this point that although the cabinet structure can be of a portable nature, thus to be carried from place to place and supportably positioned upon any suit .ab1e supporting surface, it can also be secured to a vertical supporting surfacasuch as a wall i or the door of a console-type sewing machine. In this event, suitable fastening elements would be provided, to secure the back wall [2 to said vertical supporting surface. This is believed sufficiently obvious as not to require special illustration herein.

Also provided upon the cabinet structure are vertically disposed side walls It, said side walls being fixedly connected at their opposite ends to i the respective ends of the top and bottom walls M, I 6. The side walls, along their back edges,

are connected fixedly to the opposite side edges of the vertically disposed back wall 12.

By reason of the construction so far illustrated and described, it is seen that I provide a receptacle which has an open front, said receptacle being of box-like formation.

In the front edges of the respective side walls [8, I form elongated recesses 24) (Figure 1), said recesses extending substantially from top to bottom of their associated side walls. The recesses 20 provide clearance for the opposite side edges of a swinging door 22, which door normally closes the open front of the cabinetstructiu'e. The door.

OFFICE A The cabinet structure which .I provide includes a' wall, is a top wall I4, the top wall being relatively narrow as best shown in Figure 1 and being fixedly se- 22 is hingedly connected as at 24 to the top and bottom walls [4, l6, and to hold the door 22 in a normally closed position, I provide a spring loaded detent 26 on the underside of the top wall 14, said detent being adapted for engagement in a complementary recess 28 formed in the top edge of the door 22.

Mounted upon the inner surface of the door 22 is a series of brackets 30, said brackets being fixedly connected in any suitable manner to the door 22 and being provided with slots 32 adapted to receive any of various sewing tools, such as a scissors S. I believe, in this connection, that the particular formation of the brackets 30 can be varied as desired, so as to accommodate said brackets to the support of various sewing tools, the slotted formation being illustrated purely by way of example, to show one form of bracket which might advantageously be used.

Provided in the receptacle portion of the cabinet structure I6 is a group of spool-support bars 34. The bars 34 are of flat, relatively narrow, elongated formation, said bars extending from side wall to side wall of the cabinet structure as shown in Figure l. The bars 34 are horizontally disposed within the cabinet structure, and are arranged in vertically spaced relation (see Figures 2 and 3).

Formed upon or otherwise made rigid with the opposite ends of each bar 34 are trunnions 38, said trunnions being aligned longitudinally and centrally of their associated bars. The trunnions 38 are extended into vertically spaced openings 40, provided in the side walls is of the cabinet structure, and by reason of this arrangement, each bar is supported in the cabinet structure for transverse tilting movement between a normal position shown in Figure 2 and an inclined position shown in Figure 3.

Mounted upon each bar 34 is a series of spoolsupporting spindles 36, and as will be noted, the spindles of each series extend upwardly from their associated bar, at locations spaced longitudinally of the bar. In the normal, untilted position of the bars, the spindles 36 are disposed vertically, the axes or longitudinal center lines of the spindles being perpendicular to and intersecting with the axis of tilting movement of the bars.

When the bars are tilted transversely as shown in Figure 3, the spindles 36 will be inclined from their vertical positions, thus to provide ready access to spools of thread, not shown, rotatably supported on said spindles. In the tilted position of the bars, the axes of the spindles will, of course, still be disposed perpendicularly to, and will intersect with, the axis of tilting movement of each bar.

I provide a means connecting the several bars 34 for joint tilting movement. To this end, there is provided, at one end of each bar 34, a pivotal connection whereby the bar is joined to an operating rod 42 extending vertically within the cabinet structure lll, along one side wall of said cabinet structure. The pivotal connection includes a longitudinally projecting pin 44 formed on said end of each bar 34, the pin 44 being extended outwardly from one edge of an angular recess 45 formed in the bar adjacent one longitudinal edge of the bar.

The operating rod 42, in this connection, is provided, at intervals spaced longitudinally thereof, with openings receiving the pins 44 of the respective bars 34, and it will thus be apparent that when the operating rod 42 is pulled downwardly,

4 in the direction of its length, the bars 34 will be simultaneously tilted to the inclined positions thereof shown in Figure 3.

Formed in the operating rod 42, at intervals spaced longitudinally thereof, are angular notches 50, and the recesses 46 of the bars 34 will receive the notched portions of the operating rod, when the bars 34 are tilted transversely. As a result, that edge of each recess 46 remote from the pin 44 associated with said recess will bind against one edge of the notch 50 adjacent thereto, thus to limit movement of the bars 34 beyond a predetermined, tilted position shown in Figure 3.

To facilitate the gripping of the rod 42, I provide a handle 52 on said rod, said handle being spaced from the upper end of the rod, at a location where the handle can be conveniently gripped by a user.

Means is also provided for returning the bars 34 automatically to their normal positions shown in Figure 2, when the operating rod 42 is released. To this end, a. coil spring 54 is secured at one end to the pin 44 of the lowermost bar 34, and at its other end to the trunnion 38 of the bar 34 next above said lowermost bar. When the rod 42 is pulled downwardly, the spring 54 will be placed under tension, as shown in Figure 3. Subsequently, when the rod 42 is released, the spring 54, tending to compress, will pull upwardly upon the lowermost bar 34, and hence will shift the rod 42 upwardly, thereby to cause all the bars 34 to resume their normal positions.

Means is also provided for limiting movement of the several bars 34 beyond their normal positions, and to this end, a ledge or abutment 56 can be projected forwardly from the back wall 2, to engage under the lowermost bar 34 in the manner shown in Figure 2.

I believe it will be apparent that when spools of thread are positioned upon the spindles 38, convenient access will be provided to each spool, without interference from any other spool. In this connection, during normal use of the sewing kit, it may not be desired to pull downwardly upon the operating rod 42, and it will be obvious that thread can be removed from any selected spool while the spindles 36 are in their normal, vertical positions.

When the spindles 36 are in said normal, vertical positions, it is not possible to remove a spool from any one of the spindles, since the upper ends of the spindles are spaced closely from the bars 34 immediately thereabove, the distance between each bar 34 and the upper ends of the spindles immediately below said bar being preferably substantially less than the ordinary length of a supported spool of thread. As a result, the cabinet structure can be laid on its side or on its back when it is not in use, without danger of the spools falling from their associated spindles.

However, when it is desired to position a spool upon a selected spindle, or remove a spool from said spindle, the user need only grasp the handle 52, and shift the operating rod 42 downwardly. This action causes the several bars 34 to be simultaneously tilted, thus to incline all the spindles 36 laterally, to positions in which said spindles are disposed for ready removal of the spools carried thereby.

I believe that it will be apparent that the construction illustrated and described permits manufacture of the sewing kit at a comparatively low cost, considering the substantial number of spools and items of sewing equipment which can be carried therein, and considering, further, the desirable operating characteristics of the kit.

It is believed apparent that the invention is not necessarily confined to the specific use or uses thereof described above, since it may be utilized for any purpose to which it may be suited. Nor is the invention to be necessarily limited to the specific construction illustrated and described, since such construction is only intended to be illustrative of the principles of operation and the means presently devised to carry out said principles, it being considered that the invention comprehends any minor change in construction that may be permitted Within the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

A sewing kit comprising a cabinet having spaced vertical side walls and an open front, a door mounted on the cabinet for closing the open front thereof, vertically spaced shelves mounted in the cabinet for tilting movement about their longitudinal horizontally disposed axes, pins carried by and extending longitudinally from the shelves adjacent the front of the cabinet, an operating rod carried by the pins and movable longitudinally adjacent one side wall of the cabinet for simultaneously tilting the shelves about their longitudinal axes, a retractile coiled spring connected at one end to the cabinet and at its opposite end to a pin for moving the shelves about their longitudinal axes, a stop pin carried by the cabinet and projecting into the path of movement of one of the shelves for arresting movement of the shelves under the influence of the spring when the shelves attain a horizontal position, longitudinally spaced spool holding spindles carried by and extending upwardly from the shelves, and a handle carried by and extending outwardly from the rod toward the open front of the cabinet for moving the rod against the effort of the spring and tilting the shelves.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 153,088 Kram July 14; 1874:

1,945,123 Stiegla Jan. 30, 1934 2, 1,6 Segur June 4, 1946 

